Nadda should be held accountable for NMC, PCI bribery scandal: Congress

BJP president and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda should be held accountable for the massive bribery scam in the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) that has been unearthed by the CBI recently, the Congress said on Monday (July 7, 2025).

Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Dr. Onika Mehrotra accused Dr. Jitu Lal Meena, a former member of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board, to be at the centre of the NMC scandal, wherein bribes worth crores were allegedly taken from private institutions in exchange for NMC recognition.

Dr. Meena’s rise from being a doctor at a rural primary health centre in Gujarat to holding a prominent position in the NMC happened during the tenure of Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister and later as Prime Minister.

“Who will take the responsibility when a person close to Prime Minister Modi is named at the centre of this scandal? Is the Prime Minister aware of this individual’s involvement?” she asked.

Dr. Mehrotra asked: “Why should the Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda not held accountable for the multi-crore bribery scandal unfolding right under his nose within his own Ministry?”

“How could such widespread manipulation of inspections, approvals, and biometric systems happen without tacit approval from above?” she asked.

The Congress spokesperson wondered how the inspection process was shifted to an online system without the Ministry’s knowledge? “If the Ministry was aware, why was this malpractice not detected and stopped earlier?” she asked.

“Will PM Modi now seek immediate resignation of Nadda from the posts of Union Health Minister and BJP President?” she asked, adding that Mr. Nadda boasted of increasing the number of medical seats in the country but “now the country knows how these medical seats were being manufactured under these fake medical colleges”.